Principal Manager, Design, Special Projects, AMERS (AI Infrastructure)

Location: Based in the United States; remote-first with travel to campus sites, labs, and partner facilities as required

Base salary: $170,000–$200,000 USD, plus potential bonus, equity, commission, and benefits.

Company

Nscale operates a vertically integrated AI cloud spanning energy, data centers, GPU superclusters, orchestration, and AI services for AI-native companies, enterprises, and governments.

What you will do

• Own design delivery across innovation and pilot projects, lab and test facilities, value engineering initiatives, and urgent live-site issue resolutions.
• Define ambiguous projects from problem statement through scope, success criteria, budget, schedule, risks, team structure, and design delivery.
• Lead multidisciplinary AE teams, specialist consultants, vendors, internal stakeholders, research partners, and fabricators through procurement, coordination, design reviews, and construction administration.
• Deliver labs, validation facilities, modular and prefabricated pilots, alternative cooling and power systems, and other first-of-a-kind solutions with measurable test outcomes.
• Resolve critical site issues and drive coordinated, buildable solutions covering cost, schedule, safety, quality, sustainability, constructability, and operational needs.
• Capture lessons, performance data, costs, and adopted innovations in Nscale standards and report project status, risks, results, and decisions to senior leadership.

Requirements

• 12+ years of experience in design and construction, design management, technical program management, architecture, engineering, or construction.
• Experience leading design from problem definition or concept through construction documents and Construction Administration.
• Experience delivering at least one lab, test, or research facility; first-of-a-kind pilot or prototype building system; significant value engineering program; or rapid-response design fix on a live site.
• Direct experience scoping, procuring, negotiating, and administering AE, specialist consultant, and vendor contracts, including non-standard scopes.
• Technical grounding across architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical, and civil disciplines, with the ability to identify gaps and hold specialists accountable.
• Proven Construction Administration experience, including RFIs, submittals, field issue resolution, and close-out on a fast-paced construction program.
• Strong design technology literacy and comfort with BIM environments, coordination tools, and document management platforms.
• Ability to define vague problems, build plans, assemble teams, manage concurrent projects, document decisions, track actions, and align stakeholders on tight schedules.
• Bachelor's degree in Architecture, Civil, Structural, Mechanical, or Electrical Engineering, Construction Management, or a related discipline.

Nice to have

• Data center or hyperscale AI infrastructure design and delivery experience, including electrical, mechanical, and fire protection systems.
• Completed-project experience with modular, prefabricated, or offsite construction.
• Experience with liquid cooling, alternative or on-site power systems, or emerging data center technologies.
• Experience with research, academic, or vendor R&D partners on built pilots or test programs.
• Formal value engineering or cost engineering experience.
• Familiarity with commissioning and test protocols for mission-critical facilities.
• Relationships with specialist consultants and vendors in the US data center and advanced-facility market.
• Master's degree in Architecture, Engineering, Construction Management, or a related field.

Culture & Benefits

• Remote-first, flexible workplace with autonomy over the working day; travel is required when projects need site, lab, or partner-facility presence.
• Collaborative, supportive, innovative environment centered on ownership, accountability, openness, and transparency.
• Base salary reviews every 12 months, with potential equity, bonus, and commission programs.
• Potential medical, dental, vision, flexible paid time off, parental leave, and retirement plan benefits.
• Growth opportunities through leading new initiatives, challenging existing approaches, and owning impact.